…particularly if you turn up at the Dell Diamond in the 5th inning and the card scanners aren’t working. Free baseball, ladies and gentleman, and plenty of parking, too. Houston’s Round Rock affiliate ended a 5 game skid this evening with a 14-7 drubbing of Oklahoma. Astros center fielder-to-be Hunter Pence (above) had 3 RBI’s and 3 doubles, raising his average to .342. 1B Mark Saccomanno, patiently waiting for Lance Berkman to take up flag football again, was 4 for 5 with a pair of doubles and 3 runs batted in.

The venue affectionately called “The Mouse Pad” by former Gulf War correspondent Mike Capps had all the ambience of a sparsely attended flea market tonight. Especially the flea part. Which surprised me, as the visiting Redhawks brought a star studded lineup (chair tossing Frank Francisco, Desi Relaford, Marlon Byrd, Victor Diaz, John Koronka) to town. It should’ve been an autograph hunter’s dream. Or a process server’s.

In other Triple-A news, Mets fans will be thrilled to know Timo Perez is working on a 19 game hitting streak, having gone 2 for 5 in Toledo’s 4-2 morning victory over Charlotte. Or perhaps you’ll be saddened to learn that former New Weird America icon Matt Ginter allowed 5 runs and 13 hits in less than 5 innings this afternoon in Memphis’ 8-7 win over Omaha (heads up, Will Leitch : the Redbirds’ Rick Ankiel hit his 7th HR of the season). And after all that, perhaps you’re puzzled, dismayed or simply blown away when reading that Ricky Ledee drove in 7 (!) during New Orleans’ 17-8 destruction of Albuquerque. Chan Ho Park improved his record to 3-1, despite giving up 6 earned runs in 5 innings.